Outlander locations record surge in tourist numbers

Maureen Ferrier

The worldwide success of the television adaptation of the first of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander novels has reaped benefits for Scotlands tourist industry.

The National Trust for Scotland (NTS) and Historic Scotland both report a surge in visitors at their sites which were used as locations for the series, which has only been available on Amazon Prime in the UK.

Filming of Outlander in Falkland.

Blackness Castle in West Lothian, which stands in for the stronghold of Fort William, has seen a 31 per cent in visitor numbers in the last year, while Falkland, which stands in for 1940s’ Inverness, has seen a 12 per cent rise in numbers.

In Culross, visitor numbers were up by nine per cent, Culloden reports a 19 per cent rise, and Preston Mill in East Lothian, also featured prominently, recorded a 26 per cent increase.

Doune Castle, which has a starring role as Castle Leoch, and already attracts visitors through its Monty Python connection, recorded a 44 per cent surge in visitors.

Another surge in interest is expected as Outlander is released on DVD and blu-ray and as the locations are promoted in VisitScotland’s recently released guide, Set in Scotland: A Film Fan’s Odyssey.

Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland, said: “These impressive figures show just what an impact the television series has had on these stunning locations as fans look to discover the land that inspired Outlander.

“The release of the DVD and blu-ray will showcase Outlander, and its amazing scenery, to an even wider audience, which will be more good news for locations around Scotland.”

Filming for the second series of Outlander is currently under way, with filming already taking place in Dysart.